A tripartite memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan Province’s Department of Industry, Mines and Trade, and its Tax Affairs Department to expand university–industry cooperation and make more effective use of the provisions of the Knowledge-Based Production Leap Act. With support from provincial executive bodies, the agreement could facilitate the development of joint research and development projects and help industries draw on the university’s scientific and research capabilities.

According to the IASBS Public Relations, the tripartite memorandum covering scientific, research, technological, and tax cooperation was signed between the university and the two provincial departments on Sunday, 18 October 2026. It aims to strengthen links between universities and industry and help industrial enterprises benefit from statutory support for research and development.

The memorandum was signed at a specialist meeting examining ways to use research and development tax credits and expand university–industry cooperation. Those attending included the Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Economic Affairs Coordination, Dr Moradkhani; the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari; the Director-General of Zanjan Province’s Tax Affairs Department, Dr Mehdi Mohammadi; the Director-General of Zanjan Province’s Department of Industry, Mines and Trade, Mr Amirali Mosayyebi; the Chancellor of the University of Zanjan, Dr Jalal Saba; the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology at the University of Medical Sciences, Dr Hamidi; and a group of managers and representatives of provincial industries.

The agreement’s main aim is to establish a framework for expanding scientific and technological cooperation, identifying manufacturers’ research needs, drawing on the university’s expertise, and raising awareness of statutory incentives for research and development. This could create new opportunities to develop technology, improve productivity, and strengthen the competitiveness of industries in Zanjan Province.

IASBS takes a leading role in linking scientific capabilities with industrial needs

The IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, stressed the need to move beyond raising problems and differences of opinion towards practical solutions. He emphasised the importance of drawing on the province’s universities to address real industrial problems, develop technology, and train people with the skills needed by the production sector.

Referring to the province’s universities, specialist faculty members, and active industries, he highlighted the need to make more effective use of existing scientific capabilities and legal provisions and called for practical cooperation between universities and industry.

According to the IASBS President, expanding this cooperation requires direct knowledge of manufacturers’ needs, sustained contact between industries and faculty members, and projects that address real problems in the production sector. Drawing on the university’s specialist expertise and laboratory facilities, and directing research towards industries’ technological needs, could help develop local solutions and improve productivity.

IASBS’s active engagement with research and development tax credits reflects its approach to using legal provisions to expand university–industry cooperation. The meeting also highlighted the importance of this initiative and its potential to encourage similar cooperation at other universities in the province.

Provincial tax department announces support for eligible projects

The Director-General of Zanjan Province’s Tax Affairs Department, Dr Mehdi Mohammadi, highlighted the importance of raising businesses’ awareness of statutory incentives and stressed the need to help industries benefit from the provisions of the Knowledge-Based Production Leap Act.

According to the provincial tax director-general, the department has announced no restrictions on projects eligible for tax credits under Articles 11 and 13 of the Act and supports industries in making use of these legal provisions. Access to these benefits remains subject to the relevant statutory conditions, rules, and procedures.

This approach could be particularly significant for provincial industries. Greater awareness of the tax credit mechanism, together with opportunities to assess research and development projects within the regulatory framework, would support planning for more focused research and technological activities.

Cooperation with IASBS could help industries identify their technical needs and draw on the university’s faculty members, research groups, and laboratory facilities to develop joint projects.

Governor-General’s Office and executive bodies support wider industrial cooperation

The Deputy Governor-General of Zanjan for Economic Affairs Coordination, Dr Moradkhani, highlighted the importance of using statutory support for knowledge-based production. She described research and development tax credits as an opportunity to direct some of companies’ financial resources towards research, technological development, and solutions to production problems.

Discussions at the meeting indicated that expanding university–industry cooperation and making effective use of legal provisions require coordination between executive bodies, identification of obstacles, and sustained follow-up on the implementation of agreements. Support from Zanjan’s Governor-General’s Office, the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, the Iranian National Tax Administration, and the relevant provincial bodies could help streamline procedures and raise industries’ awareness of the opportunities available under the law.

As a party to the memorandum, the Director-General of Zanjan Province’s Department of Industry, Mines and Trade, Mr Amirali Mosayyebi, could help link the production sector’s technological needs and priorities with the university’s scientific capabilities and the relevant support mechanisms.

The meeting also emphasised the importance of using incentives and support provisions relevant to industrial needs, enabling manufacturers to pursue appropriate legal and administrative routes according to their particular problems and requirements.

Applying university capabilities to real problems in provincial industries

The Chancellor of the University of Zanjan, Dr Jalal Saba, highlighted the province’s scientific and industrial capabilities and stressed the need to strengthen links between universities and manufacturers. He said the limited use of research and development tax credits, relative to the province’s available resources, required examination and follow-up.

The Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology at the University of Medical Sciences, Dr Hamidi, also stressed the need to strengthen links between universities, technology centres, and industries, highlighting the importance of identifying the production sector’s needs and developing joint cooperation.

The tripartite memorandum could provide a basis for joint research and technology projects, access to the university’s laboratory services and specialist advice, expanded training and internship opportunities, and direct contact between faculty members and industries.

For the province’s industrial enterprises, such cooperation offers an opportunity to bring their technical and technological problems to the university through clearly defined projects and explore the use of legal provisions relating to research and development. In turn, the university could direct more of its research towards industry’s actual needs.

Implementing the memorandum: from agreement to joint projects

The memorandum provides for a joint working group comprising representatives of all three parties, regular meetings, and implementation protocols setting out the details of cooperation, responsibilities, schedules, and expected outcomes.

Effective implementation will depend on identifying industries’ research priorities, defining specific projects, addressing implementation obstacles, and maintaining contact between the university and the responsible bodies. Raising awareness of the conditions for accessing tax credits could also increase industrial participation and encourage more targeted use of legal provisions.

The signing of this memorandum offers an opportunity to strengthen IASBS’s role in technological development and in meeting the needs of the province’s production sector. With support from the Governor-General’s Office and executive bodies, alongside industrial participation, it could help translate scientific capabilities and legal provisions into practical projects and tangible economic outcomes.